How Did the Tagelmust Originate, and What’s Its History?

How Did the Tagelmust Originate?

The Tagelmust originated with the nomadic tribes of North Africa around the 1st millennium BC, emerging as the Sahara transitioned from a savannah to a desert.

Archaeological evidence from the Tassili n’Ajjer rock art, dated to 3000-1000 BC, and analyzed in The Prehistory of the Sahara by Gabriel Camps (1961), depicts early Berber figures wearing long cloths, suggesting the Tagelmust’s precursor. These tribes, ancestors of the Tuareg, adapted the garment to protect against the increasing aridity, using locally sourced cotton or wool blends.

Its history evolved with the rise of trans-Saharan trade by the 7th century AD, as documented in The Golden Trade of the Moors by Richard Jobson (1623). The Tuareg, controlling key routes, refined the Tagelmust, incorporating indigo from West African markets, which became a status symbol. The garment’s strategic use peaked during the 11th-century Almoravid movement, where Tuareg-led Berber forces wore it during their conquests across North Africa and into Spain, as noted in The Almoravid and Almohad Empires by Amira Bennison (2016).

Colonial encounters in the 19th and 20th centuries further shaped its narrative. During the 1916 Kaocen Revolt, Tuareg rebels used it for camouflage against French forces, a tactic detailed in The Tuareg Revolt of 1916-1917 by Stephen Baier (1980).

Post-colonial, its fashion appeal grew, with French soldiers bringing it to Europe, leading to its modern global adoption by designers like Yves Saint Laurent in the 1960s, per Fashion History by Valerie Steele (2000).

Sources:

• Camps, G. (1961). The Prehistory of the Sahara.
• Jobson, R. (1623). The Golden Trade of the Moors.
• Bennison, A. (2016). The Almoravid and Almohad Empires. Edinburgh University Press.
• Baier, S. (1980). The Tuareg Revolt of 1916-1917.
• Steele, V. (2000). Fashion History.